Mandate
The Harm Reduction Program Coordinator is responsible to collaborate with campus and community partners to offer student-facing harm reduction initiatives and programming delivered by student staff, volunteers, and learners as part of the health promotion initiatives under Student Wellness. The Coordinator manages the day-to-day operation of the existing Harm Reduction Centre, the to-be-established Drug Testing Services on campus, and bring substance use harm reduction programming to various campus engagement opportunities.
Student Wellness’s Health Promotion team consists of Student Wellness leaders providing strategic guidance, creative and digital support coordinator and administrative staff supporting promotional activities, and student staff, learners and volunteers delivering peer-based programming. Additionally, existing clinical members from Student Wellness Centre’s interdisciplinary team contribute subject matter knowledge in substance use and program evaluation. Reporting to Directors of Counselling Services and Clinical Health, this position contributes to the overall program vision, ensuring to align with Student Wellness’s Health Promotion strategic direction as well as with Wellness Recreation and Athletics Department’s values and organizational priorities.
Objectives
- Educate users of Harm Reduction Centre to make risk-aware choices in using substances.
- Design and provide ethical and culturally responsive substance use harm reduction education outreach programming to students presenting with substance use or health promotion queries.
- Supervise student staff, learners and volunteers to deliver harm reduction programming for substance use.
- Build and maintain strong partnerships across campus and with community partners to enhance collaboration in substance use and health education programming and policy considerations.
- Maintain regulatory compliance and high standards of documentation while ensuring anonymity of users of drug checking services.
Requirements
This position requires a level of education, training, and experience equivalent to:
- A bachelor’s degree in Child and Youth Care, Nursing, Psychology, Public Health, or Social Work from a recognized institution, or a degree in a related health promotion and management discipline that is appropriate for substance use harm reduction and/or health promotion programming for young adults and/or in a university context.
- Minimum of three years of post-degree related professional experience, preferably working with young adults and/or marginalized population,
- Demonstrated record of providing training and/or supervising staff
- Demonstrated ability and knowledge in substance use harm reduction and/or health promotion.
- Demonstrated ability to offer non-clinical crisis support and to provide workshop and presentation
Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities
- Demonstrated commitment to principles of truth, reconciliation, equity, diversity and inclusion
- Cultural awareness of the Indigenous peoples of British Columbia, including Indigenous perspectives and practices of health, healing and wellness
- Familiarity with challenges faced by Indigenous students in the public post-secondary education, health and mental health care systems
- Familiarity with challenges to accessing appropriate care and support faced by students of diverse identities and backgrounds, including (but not limited to) those who identify as Indigenous (including two-spirit), international, racialized, transgender, gender non-binary/non-conforming, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, first-generation, and/or persons with a disability.
- Knowledge of student development theory and the mental health needs of post-secondary populations.
- Ability to exercise sound professional judgment and maintain confidentiality.
- Ability to be creative, resourceful, flexible and to take initiative
- Demonstrated engagement with anti-oppressive, trauma-informed and social justice principles and practices
- Demonstrated abilities in anti-racism training and practices, and commitment to anti-colonial learning/unlearning.
- Ability to build strong interpersonal relationships and to communicate and collaborate effectively with campus and community partners.
- Excellent interpersonal, communication and teamwork skills, including giving and receiving feedback, conflict resolution, and change management. Ability to collaborate, build and maintain positive relationships with diverse individuals and work effectively in a team environment.
